Reciprocating thread end holder



P. J. MAMROL 2,185,211

RECIPROCATING THREAD END HOLDER.

Filed Aug. 4, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 .PeZerIm mrog v Jan. 2, 1940. p, J MAMRQL' 2,185,211

RECIPROCATING THREAD END HOLDER Filed Aug. 4, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 PeterI-Ha mro L,

Jam 1940- P. J. MAMROL 2,185,211

RECIPROCATING THREAD END HOLDER Filed Aug. 4, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 liwerzlon- BeZerJMmroL,

Patented Jan. 2, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Peter J. Mamrol, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Kalio, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 4,

4 Claims.

My invention relates to a reciprocating thread end holder and has for one of its objects to provide an exceedingly simple and efiective device of this character particularly adapted for use on full-fashioned knitting machine to relieve the tension on the thread ends during the pressing operations at which time, ordinarily, the movements of the sinkers, dividers and needles causes the thread to be pulled taut which loads the needles, often damaging them, or produces pulls in the fabric or leads to other impairments and troubles unless said thread ends are released.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a thread end holder which is movable in unison with the knitting machine mechanism during the pressing operation.

Another object of my invention is to provide means on a knitting machine for holding the thread ends, which means is to be reciprocated by the pressing mechanism of the machine to relieve the tension on the thread ends .during the pressing operation.

A further object of the invention is to attach 25 a thread end holder to the presser shaft of a full-fashioned knitting machine, whereby the anchorage end of said holder will be reciprocated or oscillated during rotation of said presser shaft. 30 A still further object of this invention is to slidably mount a thread end holder on a suitable part of the knitting machine and attach an arm to the presser shaft which is connected with the slidable thread end holder in a manner to impart a reciprocatory motion to said end-holder.

With these and other objects in view, this invention consists of the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter described and then designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, I will describe its construction in detail, referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a portion of a full fashioned hosiery knitting machine to illustrate an application of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of one form of reciprocating thread end holder.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a slight modification of the device illustrated in Fig. 3.

Fig, 5 is a perspective view of a slightly dilferent form.

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of Fig. 4.

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of a further modification.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view of a portion of a full fashioned hosiery knitting ma- 1937, Serial No. 157,251

chine, showing a different form of reciprocating thread end holder connected thereto.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of the thread end holder shown in Fig. 8 illustrating its connection with the trough of the knitting machine.

In carrying out my invention as illustrated in Figs. 1 to '7 inclusive, It] represents the usual needle bar in which the knitting needles are mounted and with which are associated the usual sinkers, dividers and knock-over bits. The needles are moved towards the presser edge of the machine for closing the beards of the needle by the usual pressing operation which is accomplished through the medium of the presser shaft H on which the lever arm 12 is mounted carrying the usual roller for coaction with the cam l3 which thereby rotates the presser shaft ll. Another lever arm l4 extending from the presser shaft ll engages with the connecting bar l5 and the needle bar arm It for actuating the needle bar to press the needles against the presser edge.

The above parts are the elements of the usual full-fashioned knitting machine, and while they .do not form a part of my invention, they are illustrated for the purpose of showing the association between my invention and the several parts of the knitting machine. The knitting machine also includes the usual needle bar shaft H, from which the vertical movement of the needle bar is imparted by the bar l8 and the lever arm l9, which latter is actuated by a suitable cam. Also a take-off reel 20 is used for maintaining the knitted fabric at the proper ten sion, straps 2i being used to attach the fabric 22 to the take off reel. The usual trough 23 is also shown in its approximate location relative to the other parts of the machine.

, The thread used for knitting the fabric is run through the usual mechanism of the yarn carriers which lay the yarn upon the sinkers and dividers along the needles. The laying of the first part of each thread leaves a loose end and generally these ends are tied to some stationary part of the machine in order that the thread will not be pulled out of place as the sinkers and dividers operate in producing the corrugated effect for the first set of loops. The ends being tied holds the threads taut so that during the formation of the loops, the pressing operation will pull the thread to such an extent that imperfect knitting may result, or the needles may be loaded, making it necessary to lose time in removing the partially knitted fabric. Also the loading of the needles may bend the same or even cause them to break off. These disadvantages are overcome by the use of my invention, wherein the thread end holder reciprocates in unison with the needle bar during the pressing operations, so that while the thread ends are anchored so that they cannot be pulled out of place, all the tension thereon is relieved. Where the ends are anchored to a stationary part of the machine, it becomes necessary to out said ends immediately after the knitting operations have proceeded a sufiicient distance to retain the fabric on the needles or other component part f the knitting machine.

In order to overcome the necessity of cutting the thread ends at the beginning of each course of fabric and the consequent loss of time or possible damage to the fabric, I provide a reciprocating thread end holder generally designated by the numeral 24 and including a clamp 25 or other suitable securing means for attaching the thread end holder to the presser shaft of the knitting machine. From the clamp 25 projects a body 26 generally extending substantially in a vertical direction and this body may, if found desirable, have an offset 2'! from which projects a riser 28, in effect, an extension of the body 26 in order to give proper height to the arm 2!} extending at an angle from the upright support including said body, offset portion and riser. While I have shown the upright support, arm and one-half of the clamp 25 as made in one piece, with the other half of the clamp bolted to the upright support, it will be obvious that these parts may be constructed in various diiferent ways and the clamp may be eliminated should anyone desire to fix the thread end holder to the shaft in some other manner.

By reference to Fig. 7 it will be noted that the body portion 26 is of greater length than the similar part of the device shown in Fig. 3, but in the last mentioned view the arm 29 is longer than the one in Fig. '7. Further, the upright supports may be straight throughout or they may be offset on the opposite side as shown in Fig. 5 and the height may be changed as will be obvious by comparison of Figs. 4 and 5 with Figs. 3 and '7. In other words, the particular shapes of the upright supports may be varied according to the positions and relative locations of certain parts of the knitting machine to permit the holders to be fastened to the presser shaft and escape interference with any working parts of the machine or any elements that might be in the path of travel of some part or parts of the holder.

On the arm 29 is a suitable anchorage means 30 for the thread ends, and preferably said anchorage means is a curved resilient plate fastened to the arm by a screw or other equivalent attaching means 3i.

When the fabric is started, the thread ends 32 are fastened to the anchorage means 39 on the thread end holder and each time the pressing operation of the machine takes place, which would ordinarily pull the threads taut, the thread end holder is reciprocated or, as shown in this par ticular illustration, oscillated, so that the tension on the threads 32 will be relieved, thereby eliminating the necessity of cutting said threads until such time as the operator is free from other duties. Of course, it will be obvious that as each new course is started, the thread ends of such new courses are fastened to the holders, whether the first thread ends have been cut or not.

In Figs. 8 and 9 I have shown a slightly different form of the invention wherein the arm 33 is slidably mounted on the trough 23, or other suitable part of the knitting machine, by means of screws 34 or their equivalent passing through longitudinal slots 35 in the arm and threaded into a machine part such as said trough 23. This arm carries the anchorage means 36, same as the one previously mentioned. The arm 33 is slid back and forth or reciprocated by means of an upright 37 provided with a clamp portion 38 as one means for attaching said upright to the presser shaft, and as stated in the other form of the invention, this upright may be of any desirable shape or configuration so that its upper end will be positioned contiguous the other end of the arm 33 and said arm loosely connected wtih the upright by a screw 39 or other equivalent fastening. The screw 39 must pass through an enlarged opening to compensate for the change in the angle of the upright 31 relative to the arm 33.

In this last described form of the invention, as the presser shaft rotates to impart the pressing action, the upright 31 will be oscillated, thereby reciprocating the arm 33 and as the loose ends of the thread are fastened to the anchorage means 36 the tension on the thread ends will be relieved during the pressing operations, and yet will be held captive to prevent the same from pulling away from the needles or causing said needles to become loaded.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction herein shown and described, as these may be varied within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and useful is:

1. A thread end holder of the class described comprising a clamp, an upright projecting from said clamp, an offset projecting sidewise from said upright, a riser projecting from the ofiset, an arm extending from said riser, and thread anchorage means on said arm.

2. The combination with a knitting machine including a trough and a presser shaft, of an arm slidably mounted on said trough, thread end anchorage means on said arm, and means connected to the presser shaft and said arm for reciprocating said arm during rotation of the presser shaft.

3. The combination with a full fashioned knitting machine, of an arm mounted on a portion of the machine adjacent the needle bar, thread end anchorage means carried by said arm, and means connected with the presser shaft and said arm for reciprocating the latter said means comprising an upright clamped to presser shaft and loosely connected with the arm.

4. In a device of the kind described, a knitting machine including a trough and a presser shaft, an arm having longitudinal slots therethrough, means passing through said slots and mounted in the trough for slidably mounting the arm, a resilient thread end anchorage means on the inner end of said arm, an upright attached to the presser shaft with the upper end of said upright underlying the outer end of the arm, a fastening means passing through an enlarged opening in said outer end of the arm and mounted in the upright whereby the rotary movements of the presser shaft will cause the upright to transmit a reciprocatory motion to the arm for relieving the tension on thread ends during each pressing operation.

PETER J. MAMROL. 

